


Toss Me a Heavy Rope

by orphan_account



Category: 1D - Fandom, One Direction, Ziam Mayne - Fandom, ziam - Fandom
Genre: F/M, M/M, My First AO3 Post, My First Work in This Fandom, Niall and Louis don't even speak in this so i thought it'd be better not to tag them, also, as well as my first ever m/m fic and first 1D fic, repost of my second fic ever, song fic i guess, terrible lack of louis and niall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-11
Updated: 2013-10-11
Packaged: 2017-12-29 02:08:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/999614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>“Oh sorry um… have you seen Harry?”</em>
  <br/>
  <em>He heard Liam sigh over the receiver</em>
  <br/>
  <em>“No I haven’t…how are you?”</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Toss Me a Heavy Rope

**Author's Note:**

> [first posted on my old tumblr handle halosandsongs]
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own One Direction or anything else you recognize here. I can only lay claims to my ideas and how I execute them. Oh, and none of this is in any way factual. 
> 
> Note: Changes in perspective are introduced by lyric excerpts. At least I'm pretty sure, I wrote this almost two years ago.

_Strange hands taking my wrist again, somehow I’m still alone_

 

“C’mon Zayn!”

Zayn said nothing but he quickened his pace to keep from upsetting Harry. It wasn’t always like this, at first the relationship was fun and sweet and Harry could do no wrong in his eyes.  
Considering that last fact Zayn pondered the idea that maybe it _had_ always been like this. As he left the lights and music pulsating in the club, he felt eyes on him. But if he knew what was good for him, he wouldn’t dare try and meet their gaze. Strangely that thought had the sound of Harry’s voice as it resonated through his mind.

 

_I can’t hear much of what you say, come for me_

 

Liam had been distracted all night. Most of it was because it was extremely hard to keep up with a drunken Louis and it was increasingly hard if said Louis was with a drunken Niall. But the other part was because Zayn and Harry disappeared a while ago and still hadn’t come back. They were 2 of his best friends but after a month of dating both of them had changed. Harry would flirt openly with other people, girls and guys alike. He always seemed to conveniently forget he was in a relationship if an opportunity arose. And Zayn? Well…Zayn was just lost. There were times when he’d call Liam late at night, his voice hoarse as he asked “Hey Li, uh have you heard from Harry? He hasn’t come yet so…” How do you tell your friend “Oh yeah I saw him! I stepped out to go to the shop and pick up some crisps and he was snogging some girl. I’m sure he’ll be home soon though” Exactly, you don’t.

 

_Don’t let me tumble away, into the throes of the shadowy plane_

 

Zayn knew. He knew that Harry had been messing around. What with the coming home at ungodly hours with his hair messed up, smelling like kiwi body mist and sex. He knew that he deserved better…in theory. But he also knew that when Harry came home he felt guilty as fuck. Making him breakfast in the morning and smiling a little too wide, even for him. Feeling the need to tell Zayn that he loved him over, and over. Holding his wrist a little too tight as if he feared that Zayn would suddenly know and go off running, like now. The guilt didn’t stop Harry from going back though.

_I cling to the rock and it’s crumbling off. Toss me a heavy rope, it’s a slippery slope_

 

Once when all 5 of them were hanging out, Harry was being overly sweet with Zayn. From his spot on the far couch he could hear Harry’s voice saying “I love you…you know I love you right?” And Zayn gave him this hint of a smile and a tight nod and turned away. Harry immediately exhaled, as if he had been holding his breath for minutes. When he realized what he had done his eyes searched around frantically, most likely to see if anyone had noticed. Louis and Niall were too preoccupied with their DS battle but Liam saw. When Liam and Harry locked eyes Liam involuntarily squinted his eyes at him. It wasn’t his fault Harry was so sketchy, it was reflex. But in that moment Liam knew that Harry knew that Liam knew. The entire thing was beginning to get mixed up in his brain. Harry began to tighten his grip on Zayn’s hand when Liam was near and got clingy whenever Zayn wanted to hang out with Liam alone. At first he thought that it was just because Harry thought he’d tell Zayn what he did. But as he and Zayn spent more time together and more “Have you seen Harry?” calls in the middle of the night turned into long conversations about everything and nothing he realized that maybe it was because he was a little bit in love with the Bradford boy. It wasn’t fair to Danielle either so he broke up with her, it totally wasn’t so he’d be free if Zayn ever realized what was going on and dumped Harry. It wasn’t.

 

_Turned up in this old place again, can’t seem to get away. Take me back to my element, I’m afraid_

 

Harry hadn’t come home…again. It was 3:00am and Zayn had had enough! He needed someone to talk to or he...he didn’t know what he’d do. He dialed Liam hoping he’d pick up. Zayn knew the boy didn’t usually like to mess with his sleep schedule and he prayed he’d still be awake. “Hello?” Zayn smiled as he heard Liam’s voice after the second ring. It didn’t sound as hoarse as he’d expected someone’s to sound after just waking up. He almost allowed himself to think that maybe Liam had stayed up expecting his call but that would mean that maybe, possibly Liam returned the feelings that had been festering in the absence of Harry’s presence and in the presence of Harry’s betrayal so he stomped the thought down before it had the chance to blossom. 

“Zayn? You there?”

“Oh sorry um… have you seen Harry?”

Zayn honestly didn’t care if Liam had seen Harry, he just wanted to talk to him. But he doubted “Hey, I just wanted to hear your voice” would have gone over as easily.

He heard Liam sigh over the receiver. 

“No I haven’t…how are you?”

Zayn smiled, this was usually how all of their “till someone falls asleep” conversations started.

Zayn fell asleep first and this time he didn’t dream of curls, dimples and desolation but of turtles and spoons and brown eyes that squinted whenever the face they belonged to laughed. He woke up smiling.

That changed however when he stepped out into the hallway and heard voices from the door.

“You can’t keep _hiding_ me Harry! It isn’t _fair_ -“

“Be quiet!” Harry’s voice hissed “Zayn’s still sleeping. How did you even know where to find me?”

“The concierge let me in. I asked which room was your apartment and he had seen us together and he told me. He thought I was your girlfriend Harry! I _should_ be your-“

“Shut up, shut up! I already have a boyfriend. I don’t need a girlfriend too.”

“If your boyfriend means so much to you then why do you keep coming ba-“

Zayn turned away after that. He had heard enough. There were so many signs and most of him had knew what was going on. But there was still that part of him that wished he was wrong, that it wasn’t true. He hastily got dressed and threw some of his nearby things into his duffel bag. He needed to go.

“You’re up?”

Zayn heard Harry’s tentative voice from behind him. He was so clouded with rage that he hadn’t even heard the door close. But hearing Harry’s voice like that made him stop, made him want to forgive him; to work things out. After all, he had put so much into their relationship. Those thoughts quickly vanished as he turned around and saw that Harry’s lips were swollen with a few smears of pink lip gloss on the corners of his mouth.

“I need to go for a while”

“What? Why?”

Harry was scrambling after him as he made his way to the door. Zayn turned around and looked into the emerald eyes he once loved, feeling only hatred as he allowed Harry to answer his own question.

“Wait Zayn, I’m sorry! It was a mistake!”

But he was already on his way down the stairs. Waiting for the elevator would have given Harry time to catch up to him and try to kiss his way out of his current predicament. And God knows he would have succeeded.

 

_Oh I’m not a lost cause, I’m just stuck in this part_

 

“Liam, it’s Zayn...can I stay at yours a bit? I’m downstairs”

Liam heard Zayn’s voice shake with unshed tears and he had a horrible feeling the inevitable had happened.

“Sure, sure. I’ll buzz you up and leave the door unlocked.”

Liam was still pacing up and down his little hall trying to think of an appropriate course of action when Zayn stepped in quietly, his eyes glassy and vacant.

“Zayn are you al-“

“No, no I’m not.”

Despite his better judgement, Liam used three long strides to cross the room and wrap his arms around his friend. He felt Zayn bury his head in the crook of his neck and shortly after the wetness that must have been Zayn’s silent tears.

“What happened?” Though Liam already had an idea he felt it’d be best to ask Zayn.

“The harlot! She came to our apartment Li! She came to our home!”

“It’s ok, it’s ok”

“It’s not!” Zayn’s voice come out muffled from his position “You know what sucks, Li? You know what really fucking sucks!”

“What?”

“She didn’t even really have to show up. She had infiltrated her sneaky ass into our home since the whole thing started!”

Liam felt Zayn’s body start to go limp and rest more and more on him.

“Do you want to lie down?”

Zayn nodded.

The boys separated as Liam lead the way to the bedroom. Zayn only took off his shoes, jacket and glasses before he settled down into the bed.

Liam leaned over him to turn off the bed lamp and he felt a tug on his arm as he tried to pull back. He looked down to face a very tired Zayn.

“Could you just-like lay with me?” he croaked.

Liam hesitated for a moment, not quite sure if he was ready for that kind of temptation. He didn’t want to take advantage of his friend. But seeing the sad look in Zayn’s eyes he knew that the boy needed this and he pulled back the duvet and settled in, trying to stay as far from Zayn as he could without seeming insulting. It didn’t matter, Zayn snuggled his back into him and took Liam’s hand and wrapped it around his waist moments later. He was cautious at first but when he heard Zayn’s light snoring he let himself wrap his arm tighter around the boy and pull him closer.

Anything for a friend right?

 

_And I’m close to falling off. So toss me a heavy rope it’s a slippery slope_

 

Seeing Harry the next week at their recording was brutal. Harry looked like he hadn’t slept in days and he almost ran to hug him right there and then. To say that it was ok, that it didn’t even make him feel like he had been run over by a train, only a bus. But a small squeeze of his left hand from Liam reminded him to stay strong.

“I’ll be back in a second yeah?”

“Alright”

Liam smiled at him as he let go of his hand and Zayn had to fight the urge to kiss his cheek. It seemed the thoughts he had tried to stamp out were resurfacing but he didn’t dare risk it. He was still recovering from Harry and he really wanted to make sure himself _and_ Liam were certain that Liam wasn’t just a rebound and that Zayn’s feelings were genuine.

“Zayn I’m sorry, it’s just-“

“It’s ok Harry”

Harry looked shocked as he raised his head to reveal wide eyes.

“So you’re coming back home?”

“I’d say it’s just your home now. I’m just going to pick up some more of my things.”

The Cheshire lad’s face fell again “If you’d just let me try and make it up to you, Zayn…I swear I’d-“

“No Harry. I think it’s safe to say we’re over and we should both try and move on.”

“So you’re just going to cut me out of your life?!”

“You and I both know that I can’t do that. We’re in a band together for God sakes. We’ll just try and make our way back to a friendly place okay? We still have our careers to worry about.”

Zayn was surprised at how well and maturely he was handling this, Liam must have been rubbing off on him.

“But-“ Harry tried again.

“So I’ll see you inside then.”

 

_Come bail me out of this god forsaken precipice. Don’t let me tumble away_

 

Liam and Zayn were talking outside after their recording when Liam felt the wind pick up.

“Oh, I forgot my jacket up there.”

“It’s ok, I’ll just meet you in the car and we’ll head home yeah?”

Liam smiled at Zayn’s referring to his apartment as home.

“Yeah”

As he made his way back downstairs he ran into someone.

“Oh, sorry!” he said as he continued his way down

“I’m not. It was your fault!”

Liam turned around to meet Harry’s pained face.

“Okay…and I apologized”

“Don’t play dumb Liam, you know what I’m talking about.”

As realization dawned on him he scoffed.

“Don’t even try and pin this on me. It was all you.”

“I always knew you wanted Zayn, I just never thought you’d steal him from me. I thought you were better than that.”

Liam knew he should be sensitive and that Harry was just talking rubbish because he was in a very emotional state but that knowledge didn’t stop words from tumbling out of Liam’s mouth.

“I didn’t _steal_ him from you Harry, you drove him away! Up until you screwed up you were the only thing he could _see_! Even if I wanted him he wouldn’t have cared. But _you_ fucked it up, not me!”

“Hey Li! You coming mate?”

Liam heard Zayn calling him from just outside the door and didn’t wait for Harry to come out of his stupor to turn around and head back downstairs.  
He knew that tomorrow he’d have to go make things right with Harry. He was still his band mate and more importantly his friend. But right now he just wanted to focus on Zayn and making him feel okay again.

 

_Come bail me out of this god forsaken precipice. Toss me a heavy rope, it’s a slippery slope_

**Author's Note:**

> Repost of my first m/m fic (ever) and also my first One Direction fic. I made a few minimal changes but i mostly left it the same. so you guys can grasp how much of a novice i am. ( ‘The harlot"? i mean what? i’m cringing) there’s a funny story as to why i had to repost this but you guys probably dont care and i dont feel like typing so i guess we’ll never know.
> 
> Feel free to point out any errors, they are all my own. Unless it's like a _terrible_ error I likely will not change it on this particular work but I will definitely consider any constructive criticism when I write new stories. I'm sure there are errors though because you know, (pretty much) my first fic.
> 
> And the song used is Heavy Rope by Lights, if you're interested. It's quite a good song, my less than stellar writing is in no way a representation of it ok.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading! (and i can offer an 80% guarantee that future reposts will be better than this one. At least some of them.)  
> :)


End file.
